title: Assessment of anti mosquito measures in households and resistance status of Culex species in urban areas in southern Ghana: implications for the sustainability of ITN use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine resistance status of Culex species to different class of insecticides and assess the major anti-mosquito strategies employed by urban households and their possible effects on malaria acquisition.
  
  
  METHODS
  Structured questionnaires were randomly administered to obtain information on demographic characteristics, measures that people use to prevent mosquito bites and their perception of where mosquitoes breed in their communities. Adult susceptibility assays were also carried out using WHO discriminating dosages of four insecticides from different chemical classes against Culex species.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Majority of respondents (54.75%) preferred the use of domestic insecticides in the form of aerosols and coils. Among households that used domestic insecticides, the use of coil was most frequent (62.9%) with a mean (95% CI) of 9.18 (8.99, 9.37) coils per week. Strong level of pyrethroid-resistance and multiple insecticide resistance in Culex species were also detected in some of the study sites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The excessive use of domestic insecticides and high level of resistance in Culex species observed in the study area has implications for the ITN component of the nation's malaria control program in more subtle ways. People will lose interest in the use of ITN when it fails to protect users from bites of resistant Culex species. Excessive use of domestic insecticides may also select resistance in both malaria vectors and Culex species. On this account we recommend that nuisance mosquitoes must be controlled as part of malaria control programs to improve acceptance and utilization of ITN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology and Wildlife, School of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana. Electronic address: akudom@ucc.edu.gh.
authors.forename: Andreas A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kudom
authors.forename: Ben A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mensah
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nunoo
mesh_terms: D000336:Aerosols; D000818:Animals; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003465:Culex / Q000187:drug effects; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007305:Insecticide Resistance; D057148:Insecticide-Treated Bednets / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007306:Insecticides; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D009032:Mosquito Control / Q000379:methods; D011634:Public Health; D011722:Pyrethrins; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000336:Aerosols; D007306:Insecticides; D011722:Pyrethrins
keywords: Culex species; ITN; Insecticide resistance; Malaria control; Mosquito coil; Nuisance mosquitoes